Malankara Archdiocese of North America

The Malankara Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church in North America is a Syriac Orthodox diocese in the United States. The Archdiocese is under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, the Supreme Head of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church. This Archdiocese comprises parishes all over the United States and Canada for the people from India who follow the Syriac tradition – i.e. using the Syriac language, a dialect of Aramaic spoken by Lord Jesus, as the Liturgical language.

History

In the recent past, especially since the 1960s, a considerable number of people from India migrated and settled down in North America. Many of them were Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Christians. They followed the Syrian Orthodox faith, maintained their distinct identity and preserved the traditions of the Syrian Orthodox Church. They formed parishes and spiritual organizations such as Sunday School for children, Youth Association for young adults and St. Mary’s League for women under the spiritual supervision of the late Archbishop Mor Athanasius Yeshue Samuel. For smooth functioning of the parishes under the ecclesiastical hierarchy, a Malankara Council was constituted and became fully operational in 1987. From that time onwards the Malankara Parishes conducted annual conferences in different parts of North America. As the number of people professing the Syrian Orthodox faith and their spiritual needs increased, The Delegates’ Meeting held on December 5, 1992 at the St. Mark’s Syrian Orthodox Cathedral, Hackensack, New Jersey, requested the Patriarch to consecrate a Metropolitan for the Syriac Orthodox people from India. This request was granted and an independent Malankara Archdiocese was established directly under the Holy Apostolic See of Antioch and All the East.

External links

* [http://www.malankara.com Malakara Archdiocese of North America] Official Web Site